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Taking Digital Humanities has had its ups and downs. Learning new skills can be scary, and the internet is FOREVER. Mistakes there can come back in bite you later. Facing those fears and learning safe ways to create a digital footprint for myself, has been a positive outcome. As a local activist and scholar, I have always envisioned myself blogging or doing online outreach, but I had no idea how or where to start. This course granted me with those skills.

Honestly, I am super proud of the work I did in this course and am getting a little teary, thinking that my time at OSU-Tulsa is over. Olivia and I ended together, with a podcast. I know this sounds sappy, but our constant study groups have helped me get through not only this class, but many others in my time in the American Studies program. I’m so excited I get this lasting project with her.

A couple of notes about the podcast:

I mention graduating a FEW times. Don’t judge me, I am just really excited. It took me 10 years to complete my Bachelor’s degree.

We may or may not have put in a 15-second dance break. It’s late and our brains are fried. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

This week’s assignment turned into a photo essay with a few videos and a Spotify playlist at the end. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about women in folk music and have left this assignment being inspired by these singer/songwriters.

I used Sutori for my assignment, and I would highly recommend it. It was easy to use and I believe helped me create a powerful essay. There were a few things I wish I could have done, that I was unable to figure out:

I wanted footnotes but was unable to edit them in.

My first video of Elizabeth Cotten sits with just a black screen. I really wanted to make sure that I covered her, so I am hoping the black screen isn’t a deterrent.

I also wish it had more capability to move things around, but I am ultimately happy with my project.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that many of the women I covered have been granted awards for their art, especially with Grammys. I also noticed that many have made it into a hall of fame, but most happened much later in their careers. This is not surprising since women are often passed over and go unrecognized for their work when it is happening. Add extra layers of oppression like race or sexual identity, and that becomes even more complicated.

This week I was tasked with investigating the timeline service Timeglider. The purpose of the review is to narrow down the options for our class collaborative project on Phil Ochs. While I think that Timeglider is a perfectly acceptable program, I am not convinced it is for us.

This program is a data-driven timeline app that has been owned and operated by one man in Boise, Idaho. It has been around in one form or another since 2002, so longevity doesn’t seem to be a problem with this site. The products created by the app are available to viewers by URL, so accessibility is not an issue. They have pretty standards privacy policies and agree to protect your info, only sharing with vendors they partner with.

I know, so far it sounds pretty good, right?

Here are the reasons I am not sold on the site:

There is a fee to use the service. The parameters that would best for our group would cost $5 a month or $50 a year. There is a free student account, but it is too limited for our assignment.

While I was not able to see very many examples of the site at work, due to the layout of their site, it seems to be lacking in tools and features. Since we are hoping to get this work usable for the Woody Guthrie Center, I think this site is not up to par in the area of design.

We have some talented folks in our group and because of that, I feel like this service isn’t advanced enough for our vision and ultimate goal.

For our audio assignment, Olivia and I worked together to discuss Phil Ochs and his legacy. We knew his commitment to social justice was something we wanted to touch on, as well as his niece Robyn Ochs. His unfortunate death by suicide was something that we wanted to mention, but also not sensationalize. That is why we decided to give listeners resources. Oliva and I work within social justice organizations and it is in our nature to provide folks with help when we can.

The process was fun and challenging. I feel like I would do this again, maybe even start my own podcast. I could talk about fat-shion, queer issues, history, and cats. Any takers?

But truly, I am grateful for this assignment. It pushed me out of my comfort zone and empowered me to get comfortable with myself. It is totally normal to feel cringy when one hears their own voice but after a bit of listening, I appreciate my voice more. I appreciate the power of it.

Here are a few pointers/things I would do differently next time:

Check for background noise after the first recording, away from the original location so you can truly tell if the background is noisy. We checked it, but did so in the same area so it didn’t sound off until it was too late.

When editing, smaller clips are better. You have a bit more control of the edits and rearrangements.

Find background music early, and make your clips longer than you think. It is better to have too much and have to edit, then having to start from scratch.

This week, we were assigned the task of annotating the work of Phil Ochs. I loved this assignment.

The sixteen-year-old poet inside of me loved breaking down his lyrics and applying meaning to it. The historian in me loved researching further into the Civil Rights Era and Ochs’ place within it.

The song I chose to annotate was “Here’s to the State of Mississippi”. While addressing Mississippi by name, Ochs’ call-out is relevant to many states in the South during the Civil Rights Era. Blatant refusal to desegregate schools, follow federal mandates around dissolving Jim Crow laws, police brutality incidents, the reemergence and support of the KKK, and corruption with state officials led to the deaths of many marginalized people, especially people of color.

Using genius.com was a cool experience, and one I will do again for sure! It is an interesting resource for those looking to expand their knowledge of musical artists they enjoy. I recommend it for sure.

This week, we have been tasked with creating a playlist of the works of Phil Ochs. I thoroughly enjoyed this activity. I learned much about Ochs and his value system in this assignment. I also have found some personal new favorites in this process. Here are my Top 7:

From what I can gather about Ochs, he was unafraid of calling out things that needs to be called out. “Love Me, I’m a Liberal” shines light on individuals that hold liberal values only if it is convenient for them to. This observation made by Phil is relevant still today. This is my favorite of all of his works.

This song is not an Ochs original. It was first performed by Merle Haggard.

This song is special to me for a few reasons. I love this song. I love covers, especially good ones. My partner is from Muskogee, so there is that connection. As a proud Okie myself, I am pretty sure it is a requirement if you are from Oklahoma. It is a protest song, written from the point of the “everyman”. Phil held those narratives close, so it is no surprise that he wanted to add this one to his repertoire.

Phil was a storyteller. He told stories that connected to the “good ol’ boys” and called out oppressive structures in place in society. This is the case in Ringing of Revolution where his target is capitalism.

Satire is a wonderful tool for sending messages, especially in times of revolution. Draft Dodger Rag uses that method to pass along the outrage of the Vietnam War. I like this song because it was also a great way to help men strategize to get out of the draft, practically laying out the main reasons to be dismissed from service.

Keeping on the theme of topicality, my next choice involves one of Phil’s most popular songs. This one tells the story of the murder of Kitty Genovese. This one has an interesting juxtaposition between the lyrics and the music composition. It is worth checking out for sure.

While critical of American politics and war involvement, Phil clearly loved his country. This is super evident in Power and the Glory. This one I put last because it is the positive one on the playlist. Phil reminds us of the good things about American people. Much like “This Land is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie, this anthem reminds me of what we are fighting for. I hope it does in you too.

So, I’m not going to lie. I feel a bit advantaged for this trip to the Woody Guthrie Archives. I had the privilege of getting a partial tour of the Ochs’ archives last semester when I helped bring Phil’ niece Robyn Ochs to OSU. Stepping behind the doors to the archive was like entering a different world for me. It was special for sure. While we didn’t have much time to tour, we were able to see several incredible pieces from the collection. I can not wait to continue that experience and dive deeper into it.

Located in Box 12, Folder 3 the address book utilized by Phil contains famous addresses that will help paint a picture of Ochs’ s scope in the activist community of the time. If I recall correctly, Dylan’s old info is in it.

Interview of Witness Stand “Pig for President”

I’m not exactly sure what this is about, but I am excited to find out. A quick google search led me to Pigasus, the pig that ran for President in 1968. Located in Box 01, Folder 11; this is sure to bring a laugh or two.

Fan Mail

One way to explore the legacy of Ochs is through his connection with his fans. I can not wait to see the creativity and passion expressed in those letters and other correspondence. (Box 26, Folder 01)

A few other areas of interest include a speeding ticket, correspondence about a backgammon game, personal video footage from Phil, and of course THAT GOLD SUIT.

As far as questions for Kate are concerned, I have many. Questions like: when you have something that is the only original, are you more hesitant to put it out for display? Why keep things like speeding tickets and gas bill correspondence? When dealing with fan-created archives, what is the copyright situation like? Are there concerns with publicly displaying that work? What is your favorite part of the collection? Is there something that you feel like should definitely make it into the project that may be easily overlooked?